The Path of Immortality: Starts With Creating Water Bear Gu

Chapter 370: Researching the Gold-Eating Insect

Time quickly passed, and four months had gone by.

Within the Phoenix Heaven Empire, alchemists had become a common sight everywhere.

Alchemists, once a rare profession, were now so numerous that one could hardly walk down a street without encountering at least one—and often, even more. These alchemists came from all over, hailing from various regions far and wide. With alchemists from across the Western Region gathered together, their presence within the Phoenix Heaven Empire could only be described as overwhelming.

Though a few months remained before the Alchemy Tournament began, many had already arrived early, including a significant number of first- and second-grade alchemists. While lower-grade alchemists had little hope of making it to the finals, the opportunity to witness such a grand alchemy event was too rare to pass up.

One of those early arrivals was Long Xuan. Upon entering Phoenix City, he followed the instructions of the Jade-Faced Rakshasa and adopted a new appearance—a young and handsome face. Since he intended to compete on behalf of the Long Clan, he also took on the alias "Long Xuan."

Phoenix City was bustling with activity. Streets teemed with alchemists, a wealthy group by nature. The influx of so many alchemists naturally stimulated the city's economy, driving up the prices of spiritual herbs at an unprecedented rate.

Sensing a chance to profit, astute merchants transported vast quantities of valuable goods into Phoenix City. The city was now so abundant with treasures that it could only be described as a land of riches.

Long Xuan couldn't help but sigh in admiration—arriving early had indeed been the right choice.

He began deploying his clones to scour the city, collecting treasures useful to him with fervor. Meanwhile, his main body searched for trading events. With so many wealthy alchemists gathered, trade fairs were bound to spring up, showcasing the most valuable items.

Guided by his powerful spiritual perception, he arrived at a pavilion bearing a sign: "Third-Grade Alchemists’ Trading Fair."There was no need for further notice; many third-grade alchemists throughout the city were already making their way toward the pavilion, having sensed the sign with their spiritual powers. As one of the strongest groups in terms of spiritual strength, detecting the sign was an easy task.

It seemed the trading fair hadn’t yet started. Long Xuan adjusted his attire and walked in.

At the entrance stood a man and a woman, both peak Spiritual Sea Stage Gu cultivators. When they saw the third-grade alchemist badge on his chest, they immediately showed respect.

“May I ask for your honored name, sir?” the male guard inquired politely.

“Long Xuan,” Long Xuan replied without hesitation, giving his alias.

While many in this world might share the name "Long Xuan," it was unlikely for a third-grade alchemist with that name to exist. Hence, discerning individuals would recognize it as a pseudonym.

He had already decided that if the guards pressed for details, he would simply forgo attending the trade fair.

The guards, however, merely exchanged puzzled glances, as they had never heard of a third-grade alchemist named Long Xuan.

Though there were many alchemists in the world, third-grade and above were relatively rare. With sufficient intelligence, it wasn’t difficult to catalog every third-grade alchemist in the Western Region. The guards, having done their homework, were certain no such alchemist existed, confirming the use of a pseudonym.

Nevertheless, the male guard smiled and said, “Ah, Master Alchemist Long Xuan, it is an honor. Please come in. The trading fair will start soon, and there should still be seats available.”

Long Xuan nodded, adopting a haughty demeanor as he walked inside with his hands behind his back.

As he departed, the male guard scribbled the name "Long Xuan" in a notebook.

Seeing this, the female guard frowned. “It’s obviously a fake name. Why bother recording it?”

The male guard shook his head with a confident smile. “Don’t underestimate it. His name may be fake, but his surname is likely real.”

“Remember the wager between the Feng Alliance and the Long Alliance? In such circumstances, no one would dare impersonate the Long surname unless it was genuine. This wager has likely driven many reclusive Long Clan third-grade alchemists out of hiding. These alchemists, unwilling to let others dictate their fate, are definitely worth noting.”

...

Inside the pavilion, Long Xuan saw groups of alchemists chatting and laughing together. Each of them was a third-grade alchemist, a group of extremely high status, exuding a dignified presence.

Noticing his arrival, many alchemists glanced over. Seeing an unfamiliar face with no identifiable background, no one approached him.

Long Xuan was happy to stay unnoticed. He chose an unoccupied corner to sit quietly.

As time passed, more third-grade alchemists, having sensed the sign, entered the pavilion. Soon, the once-empty corners filled, and the surroundings grew noisy. Long Xuan, however, remained silent, meditating with his eyes closed, deterring any conversation.

Finally, a bell rang, marking the start of the trading fair.

Opening his eyes, Long Xuan’s gaze gleamed with anticipation. This was the most prestigious trading fair he had attended, and he eagerly awaited the treasures that might greatly aid his cultivation.

After the bell, a young and handsome man walked to the front of the crowd, surveyed the room, and smiled.

“I am the host of this third-grade alchemists’ trading fair. Allow me to introduce myself.”

[TL:- Glorious Moon Empire from now will be translated as Radiant Moon Empire]

“I am the Ninth Prince of the Radiant Moon Empire. You may call me Ninth Prince.”

The Ninth Prince’s tone carried pride. “Though my cultivation talent is lacking, my alchemy skills are exceptional. I dare not claim mastery, but within the Radiant Moon Empire, I am undoubtedly the foremost third-grade alchemist.”

His words brimmed with confidence, and his face revealed a hint of unrestrained arrogance.

At this moment, many people below displayed a trace of apprehension. The Radiant Moon Empire was one of the top ten superpowers in the entire Western Region and was also one of the hosts of this Alchemy Competition.

The title of the Radiant Moon Empire's top third-grade alchemist carried immense weight. This person was undoubtedly a formidable competitor.

Long Xuan glanced at him briefly. He wasn’t concerned about how skilled this person was in alchemy; no matter how good they were, they couldn’t surpass him. What truly piqued his interest was what trade item this Ninth Prince would present next.

As the Ninth Prince of the Radiant Moon Empire, his wealth was undoubtedly substantial. Moreover, as the host of this third-grade alchemist’ Trade Fair, he could not afford to bring out something too unimpressive.

The item he would present might very well be the most valuable one of the event, and Long Xuan couldn’t help but focus his attention.

The Ninth Prince surveyed the crowd, capturing the expressions of everyone present.

His words weren’t meant to show off but served a deeper purpose. If anyone looked at him with solemnity or fear at this moment, they were likely not worth paying attention to. Their alchemy skills were probably not remarkable, which explained their apprehension toward competitors.

Conversely, those who remained expressionless were the ones he needed to keep an eye on. These individuals were likely extremely confident in their alchemy skills and didn’t regard him, the Ninth Prince, as a rival.

His gaze lingered on someone hidden in the corner—a person who hadn’t even glanced at him directly.

“Ninth Prince! Since you’re the host of this trade fair, why don’t you take the lead? As the host, you shouldn’t bring out something too underwhelming,” someone in the crowd suddenly teased loudly, unafraid of his status.

The others chuckled at this.

The Ninth Prince glanced at the speaker and smiled. “Very well! I’ll start the trade fair, then.”

With that, he took out a bottle from his storage ring and placed it on the table. Inside were two golden insects. He swept his gaze across the crowd below and, with a hint of pride, said:

“I believe many of you have never seen these insects before, so I won’t keep you in suspense.

“These are Gold-Eating Insects, capable of asexual reproduction, and they rank twenty-first on the Peak-Grade Spirit Insect List.

“The value of a creature ranked twenty-first on the Peak-Grade Spirit Insect List needs no further elaboration. Most other spirit insects can’t compare.

“The Gold-Eating Insect is ranked so high because of its three rule-based abilities:

“First, it can devour any type of metal, no matter how hard, and inherit the exact hardness of that metal. However, it requires prolonged consumption to maintain this property.

“Second, it can unconditionally devour anything with a hardness lower than its own.

“Third, it possesses immortality and can only be killed by physical attacks that surpass its upper limit.

“As such, the strength of a Gold-Eating Insect depends on the metal it consumes over a long period.

“If it consumes the hardest metal in this world and reproduces on a large scale, it can become unstoppable, capable of destroying everything in its path.

“However, if its owner is too poor to provide it with high-hardness metals, the insect will remain fragile.

“Due to the rule-based restrictions, it can only devour materials softer than itself. If its hardness isn’t sufficient, this peak-grade spirit insect could lose even to lower-grade spirit insects.”

The Ninth Prince smiled and concluded, “I’ve explained the strengths and limitations of the Gold-Eating Insect thoroughly, without deception. Now, who is interested in trading for it?

“I lack nothing, so those interested can present any treasures they wish. I will trade with the person who offers the highest value. The item will go to the highest bidder.”

He scanned the alchemists below, confident in his first trade item.

The strength of the Gold-Eating Insect was directly tied to its owner’s wealth. If the owner was wealthy, the insect would be powerful.

Elsewhere, this insect might have limited value. But in this group of extravagantly rich alchemists, he believed the Gold-Eating Insect could fetch an astronomical price.

As expected, after his words, many alchemists below showed interest, their faces betraying thoughts of making a trade. Yet some hesitated.

They might not lack wealth, but the world’s hardest metals were finite and not something money alone could buy.

If the Gold-Eating Insect were fed with Geng Gold Essence and reproduced on a large scale, with each insect inheriting the hardness of Geng Gold Essence, it would indeed become unstoppable.

Without exaggeration, an army of ten thousand Gold-Eating Insects with Geng Gold Essence-level hardness could achieve unrivaled dominance in its tier.

The problem is that Geng Gold Essence is simply too expensive. Even with the wealth of a third-grade alchemist, they could at most afford to buy a few pieces. Using Geng Gold Essence to feed Gold-Eating Insect would be utterly unthinkable.

What’s more, there isn’t an abundance of Geng Gold Essence in this world. Feeding it to bugs would be a complete waste of a precious resource.

Using Geng Gold Essence is an extreme example. Even metals much lower in hardness ranking than Geng Gold Essence would be prohibitively expensive for feeding Gold-Eating Insect. Not even the wealthiest merchants could afford it.

Thus, while the strength of the Gold-Eating Insect is theoretically related to the hardness of the metal it consumes, no one dares to let it eat the hardest metals because the cost is simply unsustainable.

In this world, it’s practically impossible to achieve the theoretical maximum strength of Gold-Eating Insect. Even in the ancient era, when rare resources were abundant, this wasn’t achievable.

To breed a large number of Gold-Eating Insect, one can only consider metals of intermediate hardness, which are both abundant and not too soft.

However, balancing this choice becomes a massive dilemma. If the metal is too cheap, the Gold-Eating Insect will be weak; if it’s too expensive, it becomes unaffordable.

How to strike a balance between strength and cost has become a real headache, leaving many people hesitant and undecided.

As a result, even though many people were tempted by the Gold-Eating Insect, no one initially placed a bid.

After a long silence, a chubby third-grade alchemist finally raised his hand and said, “My family owns a 'Black Iron' mine with abundant output.

“Black Iron’s hardness is neither the best nor the worst; it’s perfectly suitable for feeding Gold-Eating Insect.

“I’ll offer one piece of peak-grade spirit stone for these two Gold-Eating Insect. What do you think?”

As soon as he finished speaking, before the ninth prince could respond, another person immediately raised their hand.

“Black Iron’s hardness is still too low. Giving the Gold-Eating Insect to you would be a waste of their potential,” the person said.

“My family is in the ore business and can easily gather large quantities of Purple Gold. Hand the Gold-Eating Insect over to me instead.”

“I’ll offer five King-Breaking Pills!” a wealthy young female alchemist called out boldly.

With their bids, the scene immediately came alive, and people began raising their hands to outbid each other.

There were indeed many wealthy third-grade alchemists present, and quite a few were interested in this money-burning creature.

Watching the heated bidding, a faint smile appeared on the ninth prince’s face.

At this moment, Long Xuan sat with his eyes closed, his fingers rhythmically tapping the table as he pondered the value of the Gold-Eating Insect.

This insect species, whose strength depends on the hardness of the metal it consumes, had piqued his interest.

It’s important to know that Gold-Eating Insect are not Gu Insects but Spirit Insects, which can be bred in large numbers. If he could let them consume the hardest metals and breed them to sufficient numbers, their potential would be terrifying.

Moreover, the hardest metals in this world are far from the hardest ones in existence. In the Divine Realm, there are countless metals harder than Gengj Gold Essence.

If he could feed the hardest metals from the Divine Realm to Gold-Eating Insect, his army of them would possess god-slaying power.

The Gold-Eating Insect reminded him of the Metal-Devouring Bugs from the novels of his past life. If these bugs consumed the hardest metal in this world, their bodies would become as hard as that metal, rendering their defense practically invincible.

Additionally, Gold-Eating Insect can devour anything softer than their bodies. If they consumed the hardest metal, they would be capable of swallowing everything in this world, achieving an unparalleled power of destruction.

The theoretical maximum potential of Gold-Eating Insect aligns with the legendary strength of Metal-Devouring Bugs. Long Xuan believed he might be able to raise the Gold-Eating Insect to that level.

No one dared let Gold-Eating Bugs consume the hardest metals because of the cost, nor had anyone ever evolved them to their theoretical peak, not even in the ancient resource-rich eras.

But Long Xuan believed he could achieve what others could not: evolving the Gold-Eating Insect to their ultimate form.

He then thought of alloys from his previous life. Could he use his unique abilities to create a special alloy in this world?

This alloy would be composed entirely of the cheapest metals, but when combined, its hardness would rival or surpass the hardest metal in this world.

If he succeeded, while others couldn’t afford to feed the hardest metals to their Gold-Eating Insect, he could.

With minimal cost, he could raise the insect to their theoretical maximum potential.

Once he bred tens or even hundreds of millions of these Gold-Eating Insect, he would control a terrifying swarm capable of slaying gods and demons.

Long Xuan’s eyes brightened, and his expression grew increasingly crazed.

He made up his mind—he would take these two Gold-Eating Insect at all costs.

........................................................................

Read extra chapters on >>> /SpiritStonetranslation